“What’s here?” Daphne asked the others.
Granny shrugged.
Uncle Jake opened the door and on the other side was a small spotted rabbit wearing a blue jacket and matching ball cap. His shirt had a company logo that read thd tortoise and hare deliveries worldwide. Under his little arm he held a clipboard and ink pen and next to him on the porch was an immense wooden chest sitting on the back of a large green tortoise.
When Daphne saw the animals, she squealed. “You are so cute I could eat you!” she cried, but when she saw Sabrina’s amused smile, she straightened her face. “I mean . . . I’m pleased to meet you.”
“You Jake Grimm?” the rabbit squeaked.
“Yes,” Uncle Jake said.
“You gotta sign for this,” the rabbit said, gesturing toward the delivery.
Uncle Jake took the clipboard, found his name, and signed it.
“What you got in this thing, anyway?” the tortoise asked. “It weighs a ton.”
“Oh, this and that,” Uncle Jake replied.
The rabbit held out his paw and stared up at the family.
“Well, thanks for bringing it by,” Uncle Jake replied.
The rabbit and the tortoise didn’t budge.
“I guess you probably have other deliveries to make,” Uncle Jake continued.
“Listen, pal. Let’s not beat around the bush. It’s customary to tip for a delivery, especially a backbreaking shipment like this. We brought this thing all the way from the truck and we got it here fast. I could have had my partner deliver it but you wouldn’t have gotten it until next year. You know how long a tortoise takes to deliver a package?”
“Long time, pal,” the tortoise said.
“Real long time. That kind of express service deserves a little tip, don’t you think? I mean, I got a big family. Really, I’m talking big. So how about throwing me a couple extra bills?”
“Of course,” Uncle Jake said, digging in his pockets. He pulled out a wadded five-dollar bill and stuffed it into the rabbit’s shirt pocket. Then he took the chest off the tortoise’s back.
“Thanks, pal. Oh, there’s one more thing,” the rabbit said as he took off his ball cap. There he had hidden a long brass key, which he handed to Uncle Jake. “Have a nice day and remember to use THD. We get it there at any speed you need.” The rabbit turned, snatched the back legs of the tortoise like he was a wheelbarrow, and headed back to their truck.
“What’s this?” Granny asked.
“You’ll see,” Uncle Jake said. “Get dressed and meet me in the Mirror’s room.” When they joined him ten minutes later they found him standing in front of the chest. “So, girls, remember when we started looking for Goldilocks and I suggested we send her a letter?”
The girls nodded.
“Well, I realized early on that we weren’t going to be able to do that,” Uncle Jake said. “Goldilocks keeps moving from one place to the next, faster than we could ever get a letter to her. So, I called a few friends for some help and they sent me this.”
“What is it?” Sabrina asked.
“It’s a traveler’s chest,” Uncle Jake said.
“A traveler’s what?” Sabrina asked.
“Where did you get this?” Granny Relda asked as she looked at the chest. “Your father used to talk about these, but I always thought he was pulling my leg.”
“The Andersen triplets loaned it to us. It’s going to help us find Goldilocks,” Uncle Jake said. “At least that’s what they told me it will do.”
Sabrina examined the chest. “How does it work?”
Uncle Jake took the brass key and opened the lock on the front of the chest. He lifted the lid, but the box was completely empty.
“An old empty chest is going to help us find Goldilocks?” Daphne asked.
“Oops,” Uncle Jake said as he closed the lid. “I forgot to tell it where I wanted to go.”
“I’m confused,” Daphne said.
“All you have to do is tell the chest where you want to travel. Watch!” Uncle Jake said. “Chest, I’m traveling to the Hotel Cipriani at Guidecca 10 in Venice, Italy.”
Sabrina and Daphne stared at their uncle, then looked at each other.
“I think he’s finally lost it,” Daphne said.
“It was bound to happen,” Sabrina added.
“Ha! You want to see?” Jake cried. He turned the key in the lock and lifted the lid. Instead of an empty box, Sabrina saw a spiral staircase and immediately felt the familiar tingle of an enchanted item.
“Daphne first,” Uncle Jake said as he helped the girl onto the staircase. Daphne looked up at Granny Relda as if she were unsure of what to do, but Granny’s nod gave her permission to go. Sabrina went next, followed by Uncle Jake.
“Mom, want to come along?”
Sabrina could see her grandmother’s nervous face over the edge of the chest. “No, one of us has to stay here,” the old lady said. “Besides, I’m going to bake some muffins and take them to Robin and Little John.”
“Be careful,” Uncle Jake said.